So here’s the IQA’s Sunshine Bowl preview, found here: http://iqaquidditch.com/news/2014/01/weekend-that-was-january

3. The Sunshine Bowl III will feature eight teams including two World Cup qualifiers in the hosts Stanford University and the Silicon Valley Skrewts. The Skrewts will try to overcome a disappointing performance at the Western Regional Championship to defend their Sunshine Bowl title. In addition, a merc team with star Lost Boys keeper Tony Rodriguez will compete. While his teammates are playing incredibly tough competition in San Marcos, Texas, Rodriguez will see if he can truly carry a team on his back to a small tournament championship. Other contenders include the University of California-Berkeley and Thundercats Quidditch.

SJSU doesn’t even get a mention, of course. I get that Stanford and the Skrewts do, because they’re going to World Cup. I get that Berkeley does, because they’re a big name school. Those are three of the official teams going, and the fourth team is SJSU. The Thundercats aren’t even going as the Thundercats; they’re going unofficially as The Found Men.

Seriously? We get overlooked and an unofficial team gets a mention instead? Even though SJSU has gone to every Sunshine Bowl? I feel like we should change our mascot from an owl to this hidden gem from my childhood:

Last fall in my Writing and the Young Writer class, I ended up doing my multi-genre portfolio on my experience as a rookie quidditch player, combining my newfound love for the game with my lifelong passion for writing. My teammates loved it, and Professor Browne loved it enough to give me and A in the class and to use it as an example for future classes. (Guerilla team promotion? I think so.) I wanted to keep up combining those two things that I love, so I decided to start a blog. With Sunshine Bowl III coming up this weekend, the Spartan Invitational a month after that, I knew I’d have plenty to write about.

Then this happened:

And by “this”, I mean a dislocated (and quickly relocated, but not before blowing up my knee with swelling) kneecap that has taken me right out of Sunshine Bowl at the very least, and maybe even (but I hope not!) the Spartan Invitational. Which I have been busting my ass planning, my the way.

I was ready to give up on this blog before I even started it, but I’ve decided not to. I’m going to try and limit the bitching about not being able to play, because who wants to read that? Let this instead be the chronicle of my triumphant return to the game by the Spartan Invitational.